India’s first Global Trade Centre for Women to be set up in Kerala

With a view of encouraging and accelerating woman entrepreneurship the Kerala government has announced setting up of India’s first International Women’s Trade Centre (iWTC), under the Gender Park in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The centre, to be set up in Kozhikode, also aims to secure gender pay parity.

The centre is envisioned as a space for women to harness their entrepreneurial capabilities and set up businesses, a hub that will bring together entrepreneurs, small business owners, industry leaders, mentors, experts and investors on a single platform. The first phase is scheduled to be completed by 2021.

“It is significant that the Gender Park has unveiled iWTC project at a time when more and more women are foraying into entrepreneurship and exploring other self-employment options in Kerala. This forward-looking venture will fulfil the need for providing a platform to help women break the glass ceiling by overcoming social barriers in their way and forge ahead as successful entrepreneurs,” said state minister for Health and Social Justice K K Shailaja, according to the official release by the government.

The release also said that it is a first-of-its-kind space in India where ventures by women can be incubated in a high-tech enviroment with fully-automated private and shared offices , virtual work spaces, common secretarial services, communication facilities, business guidance centres, and day-care centres for kids and senior community centres.

Gender Park CEO Dr P T Mohammed Sunish noted that the overall scheme of iWTC would be that of a world class shopping destination, encompassing within its ambit a string of outlets catering to the needs of women entrepreneurs.